Every Story has a Beginning
by Coeur de l'esprit
Summary: Quinn and Rachel are off to college and the road ahead is not going to be an easy one. Their story started off on a rough footing, but perhaps their ending will be better.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: So I was inspired to write this after watching the finale yesterday. Let's just ignore specific things like the fact that Teen Jesus was even a real person and that Quick kiss. Let me know what you guys think, please? Reviews are always great motivation.

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Quinn was sprawled out on her bed recounting the last couple of weeks. She had graduated. She was finally going to get out of here and be free and that was all she ever wanted. Her train wreck of a life had been turned around and now she could focus on the people she cared about. Unlike the rest of her friends, she had no real plans for the summer. Brittany and Santana had already left to go on a cross country road trip, Mercedes and Sam were flying out to California tomorrow, Finn was probably training, and Mike and Tina were visiting Canada with their parents. Thinking about her friends brought on a wave of nostalgia, which wasn't really uncommon as she had been having them ever since school ended. They were all growing up so fast and for a moment she wished that she could just stop time.

Bored out of her mind, she moved from her bed to her desk and turned on her laptop. After waiting for a moment for everything to load she began perusing through the internet in search of something to entertain her. She had already depleted all the decent movies on Netflix and had already watched way too many videos with cute babies and cats. Mindlessly scrolling through Tumblr, Quinn was startled when her computer started ringing at her. It took her a few seconds to realize that someone was calling her on Skype and then another few seconds to realize that the someone was Rachel. Excited to be making some form of human contact, she early pressed the answer call button. Soon, Rachel's cheery face popped on her screen and she couldn't help, but break out into a smile. The two sat there for a bit, not sure of what to say to the other until Rachel finally broke the silence.

"Hey, you. It's been a while."

"Only been about a week, but who's counting?" asked Quinn.

"Actually it's been 12 days, so I guess that means that I am," replied Rachel.

"How's New York? Shouldn't you and your dads be home by now?" inquired Quinn.

"Yes, we finished looking at dorms a while ago, but I convinced them to let us stay a little longer," said Rachel. "We're planning on heading home tomorrow actually after we see _Death of a Salesman _on Broadway."

"Of course you're squeezing in a Broadway show during your trip. You do know that you're going to be living there for probably the rest of your life, right? There's no need to squeeze everything now. Relax and just enjoy yourself," chuckled Quinn.

"I am enjoying myself though! I guess a part of me dreads going back home..." trailed off Rachel.

"Because of what happened with you and Finn?" theorized Quinn.

"Yeah, because of that," confirmed Rachel with a small nod.

In the past year, the blonde had gotten to know the petite brunette enough to know when something was bothering her. Finn had done right by letting Rachel chase her dream, but Quinn hated seeing the sadness that was so easily apparent in Rachel's eyes.

"How was your summer been so far, Quinn?" asked Rachel, trying to steer the conversation away from her relationship with Finn.

Quinn picked up on the cue and decided to go along with what Rachel wanted. For now at least.

"It's been pretty uneventful so far. Everyone's off traveling and mapping out their futures whereas I prefer to just be a lazy ass while I can. Yale is definitely not going to be easy."

"You'll be fine. You could never not succeed at anything. I expect to see your name on the front page of every newspaper talking about all your great academic achievements," remarked Rachel.

"Not true at all, but I appreciate the sentiments. Plus, how could I possibly be on the front page of anything when you're out there stealing hearts with that amazing voice of yours?"

"I do have a great voice, don't I? I guess you'll have to settle for getting the less fabulous back page spread," joked Rachel.

"You know, Rach, I'm really glad we became friends," Quinn blurted out suddenly. She didn't even know where that came from. It was probably the lack of human contact she had been experiencing lately.

"Not random at all, Fabray, but I have to agree with you. It's still weird for me sometimes to realize that all my greatest enemies from sophomore year became my dearest friends."

"It's strange how so much has changed and yet so much has still stayed the same, don't you agree? I think Glee club brought out the best in all of us; I will never regret joining even if it was for something stupid like trying to stop you from stealing my boyfriend at the time."

"Wow, did HBIC Quinn Fabray just crack a joke?"

"I am capable of humor, Berry, even if it is usually incredibly sarcastic. I'm not that cold and heartless anymore."

"I know, Quinn, don't worry. You have one of the biggest hearts I know."

"Hearing it from you actually makes me believe it. I screwed up a lot and I have yet to finish apologizing for and fixing all the mistakes I've made," Quinn said, looking anywhere but at the screen. Out of all the people she had tortured and harassed at McKinley, Rachel had been her most common victim. She would never be able to forgive herself for the torment and pain she inflicted on the brunette, but she would do all in her power to make it up to her.

"Hey, Quinn, look at me. I'm not mad at you. The past is the past and I know you're different now. I have a proposition, when I get home tomorrow how about you come over for a sleepover so we can celebrate our newfound friendship? I've been so caught up with NYADA and Finn that I've had little time for anything else and if there's anyone I want to stay in touch with from high school it's definitely you."

"Is it alright if you come over here? My mom's away on a business trip and she doesn't want me to leave the house too much, which I guess explains why I've been a caveman these past few weeks. I don't even know what sunlight is anymore. We could watch _Funny Girl_ because I've already pretty watched every movie in the world. And you do know that if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you, remember that."

"Woah, did someone just suggest watching _Funny Girl_ with me without having me beg them? No matter how much I tried to get Finn to watch it with me, he always fell asleep in the fifteen minutes. I'm going to assume that you don't already own a copy so I will bring over one of mine as well as some of my famous vegan chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Is it alright if I come over around 9? I'm not quite sure when we're supposed to get home tomorrow, but I'll text you to keep you updated."

"Well, I'm free all day so any time works for me. Anyway, it's getting late over here and I still need to shower. I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yes, tomorrow. It was nice talking to you, Quinn."

"Same goes to you," said Quinn before she ended the call.

In both New York and Lima, the two girls stared blankly at their computer screens. Rachel was uncertain why she had decided to Skype with Quinn in the first place and Quinn had no idea why she had answered. They were friends, friends talk. Unbeknownst to one another, the two girls absentmindedly rummaged through their things and pulled out the packet of train tickets they would be using to see each other next year. Even though they were only pieces of paper, they seemed to hold some sort of unexplainable weight. Too tired to think about anything else, Quinn placed the tickets back on her desk and went to go shower and Rachel got ready for bed as well. Both girls went to sleep content for the first time in weeks.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: So I guess I should state that none of these characters belong to me nor the song Video Games and the game Bananagrams. All of these belong to their respective owners. Anyway, I'm building Faberry from a friendship first before I began to even write any romance. Don't worry, we'll get there eventually and I do hope you guys stay with me that long. Reviews are always appreciated and although I know where I want my story to go, it's always nice to know what you guys would want to see.

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Rachel returned to Lima at 8:27 PM the next day and immediately rushed into her house to pack her necessities for a sleepover. Her fathers hadn't been too keen on her spending time alone with Quinn since they were aware of how the girl had treated their daughter in their early high school years, but after some persistent persuading, Rachel was able to convince her father's that Quinn no longer posed a threat and that a sleepover would actually provide her with a healthy dose of social interaction which could only benefit her. After spending the last 12 days fluctuating from crying over Finn to being excited about attending NYADA, a nice, relaxing sleepover sounded like the perfect cure to the emotional whirlwind she had been in. Secretly, she hoped that Quinn could help her make sense of this mess seeing as emotional whirlwinds seemed to be a favorite pastime of Quinn's. They had come so far from tossing slushies and demeaning nicknames at one another to being more than amicable. Toothbrush, pajamas, and Funny Girl in hand, she said a quick goodbye to her dads before rushing out to her car. Although she had never been to the Fabray residence, she knew exactly where it was. Actually, everyone in town probably knew where it was seeing as it was one of the biggest estates in Lima. She pulled into the exquisite driveway in exactly thirteen minutes and she congratulated herself for arriving five minutes early. Quinn must have seen the headlights of her car as the front door opened and Quinn calmly leaned on the door frame waiting for Rachel to come in. Hastily grabbing her belongings, Rachel got out of her car and walked to the front door. She didn't want to come off as too excited in case she freaked the blonde out.

"Hey, you," called out Quinn when Rachel got closer to the door.

"Hey, Fabray. I bet you were sitting by the window waiting for me to show up," joked Rachel.

Quinn blushed and ducked her head and didn't answer, proving that that was exactly what she was doing.

"Haha, don't be embarrassed, I do that all the time," reassured Rachel. "May I come in?"

"Oh, wow, where are my manners? Here let me help you," offered Quinn as she took Rachel's overnight bag and led the brunette through the foyer to the living room.

" I figured that we could sleep here," said Quinn gesturing to the space around her." The biggest TV is here and there's surround sound, so it's probably the most ideal place to watch Funny Girl."

Rachel stared at Quinn in awe. No one had ever put this much effort into seeing Funny Girl with her, or any movie actually. Finn had preferred to use his little box of a television set to play Halo rather than musicals and during her sleepovers with Kurt and Mercedes, they always ended up turning on a movie and then not paying attention to it to gossip instead.

"Earth to Berry, you still there?" asked Quinn, waving her hand in front of Rachel's blank expression.

Pulling herself out of her haze, Rachel replied," Sorry, I've just never had anyone put this much effort into watching Funny Girl with me before. Thank you, Quinn."

"Not a problem at all. Let me go get some pillows and blankets for us to sleep with, feel free to have a look around and make yourself at home," stated Quinn.

Rachel watched as Quinn ran upstairs to get everything and after watching her disappear, she turned her attention to the pictures surrounding the entertainment system. There were dozens of pictures of Quinn ranging from her baby years to graduation and some of her with her mom. It didn't take long for Rachel to notice that there were absolutely no photos of Mr. Fabray; Quinn and her mom must've gotten rid of all of them after the divorce. Picking up one picture frame, Rachel stared at the younger, yet still striking blonde.

"That was taken the first day of high school hence all my cheek fat."

Surprised by the sudden voice, Rachel gave a small squeak and jumped, almost dropping the picture.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," apologized Quinn.

"It's alright, I didn't hear you come down or anything so I was just startled and you could never not look like beautiful," replied Rachel. She was about to say something else when her stomach rumbled loudly; she hadn't had time to eat something when she had gotten home because she had immediately rushed to Quinn's house.

"Looks like there's a baby dragon living in your stomach or something. Best feed it before it gets angry," chuckled Quinn. "I thought you were going to make some of your famous cookies."

"Oh no, I completely forgot about that. I was so intent on not being late that I forgot about all food in general. You wouldn't possibly have any vegan friendly food for me to eat, would you?" asked Rachel shyly.

"Actually, we do because my mom tried to go on this crazy vegan diet a month or so ago. Needless to say, it was not successful. Does tofu sound good? I make a pretty mean stir fry for a white girl."

"That sounds perfect. Would you like any help?" offered Rachel.

"Would you mind cutting up the vegetables while I get everything else ready? The cutting board is in the drawer to the left if the sink and the vegetables are all on the second shelf in the fridge. Just choose what you want and I'll take care of the rest. I'll probably have to make two separate servings since I always put bacon in mine," said Quinn.

"Bacon? One, Who eats bacon in stir fry and two, why would you eat meat? Think about the poor piggies that died!" said a flabbergasted Rachel.

"Hey, bacon is God's gift to this world and you could never make me give it up. Though I guess today's you're lucky day because I ate the last of the bacon this morning."

For the next hour or so, the two girls worked to prepare their dinner. While Rachel washed the vegetables, Quinn got the pan and all the necessary spices ready. They floated around one another and moved in perfect sync. As Rachel finished dicing the peppers, Quinn would add them to the pan and so on and so forth. Halfway through, Quinn had gotten her iPod and began playing songs from her eclectic collection of music. At first Rachel had protested profusely and insisted that they listen to show tunes, but after Quinn refused to bend, she gave up home. The music wasn't that bad even though she had to ask Quinn who sung every song; the blonde, however, did not seem bothered at all by her inquiries. Mumford and Sons, Arcade Fire, Marina and the Diamonds, Rachel thought that all these bands had such strange names. Currently, they were listening to a song called Video Games by Lana del Rey. Quinn was quietly singing along and Rachel would never admit it openly, but she liked how Quinn's voice sounded. It was soft and delicate and contrasted beautifully with her more demanding style of singing. It made her feel safe and at peace, so she put down her knife and leaned against the countertop as she watched Quinn cook and sing.

"It's you, it's you, it's all for you,  
Everything I do,  
I tell you all the time,  
Heaven is a place on Earth with you,  
Tell me all the things you want to do.."

Realizing that Rachel was staring at her, Quinn immediately stopped singing.

"Wait, don't stop. I like listening to you sing," admitted Rachel.

"You're just saying that. Everyone knows that you hold your talent above all else and I mean that in a good way," stated Quinn frankly.

"That may be so, but I am capable of pinpointing those who have talent. I need to make sure that I best all of them of course."

"Of course," agreed Quinn. "Anyway, dinner's almost ready so if you could get some plates and forms from the drawer over there and set up the table that would be great."

Not wanting to end their conversation, Rachel continued to talk as she got the silverware.

"So, why is your mom away again? I remember you mentioned a business trip?"

"Yeah, or something like that," confirmed Quinn who was uncomfortable with where this conversation seemed to be headed. "How are your dads?"

"A lot happier and less stressed out since I got into college and decided not to marry Finn."

"I'm sorry."

"For what? It wasn't your fault that it ended or anything. He wanted me to follow my dream and he needed to find his own path. While I disagree with how he chose to do it, I understand why."

"No, I'm sorry you're hurt."

Quinn brought over the pan and set it down on the kitchen table which Rachel had finished setting.

"Would you like some water or milk or something?" asked Quinn hesitantly.

"I'm a vegan, remember? I can't drink milk, but water sounds nice. I am more than capable of getting it myself thought if you could kindly point me to where the cups are," said Rachel.

"No, you will sit and begin to enjoy the stir fry I just made before you die of hunger," Quinn said firmly.

Rachel nodded in consent and began hungrily gorging down food until she realized her manners and slowed down. Quinn laughed lightly at the sight before getting water for the both of them.

"Like it?" Quinn asked when she sat down and placed the glasses on the table.

"Yes, vey much so. I didn't know you were much of a cook," answered Rachel.

"I'm sure there are a lot of things you don't know about me and an equal amount of things that I don't know about you," said Quinn matter-of-factly."

"Touché. But seeing as we're friends, I would love to know everything about you that you wish to share with me."

Quinn scooped some food onto her plate before she replied.

"Well, my favorite color is purple and I am an avid fan of bacon. Although I don't seem like it, I'm actually a huge nerd. Sometimes I like staying up late at night and not think about anything because it's nice not to think sometimes. I could tell you a lot of things about me, but I don't think knowing random facts about someone is hoe you get to know them."

"Then how do you get to know someone?" asked Rachel curiously.

"I'm not really sure. I guess you learn who they really are by being around them and having them open up to you. You learn what scares them and why and what they daydream about. It's so much more than that though."

"I think I understand what you mean. It takes time to see what makes me, me and you, you. And even then, I don't think it's possible to ever truly know a person," agreed Rachel.

"If you would be willing to give me a chance to, I would love to get to know you," offered Quinn.

"I would love that."

One pan of stir fry later, the two girls laid on the family room couch in a food coma.

"I don't think I can ever eat again," grumbled Quinn.

"Come on tubbers, we have to watch Funny Girl," moaned Rachel who was slowly being eaten by the coach cushions.

"I should probably be angrier at you for calling me tubbers, but I'm too tired an full to care right now. Tell me a story," demanded Quinn.

"What are you? Five? Should I tell you a story about pretty princesses who fall in love with handsome princes in an hour and get married?"

"I don't believe in fairy tale endings," admitted Quinn." And I believe in marriage even less."

"Why? Because of your parents?" inquired Rachel.

"Probably. I also think that I'm just not ready for a commitment like that."

"If this is you trying to subtly hint that I was foolish to want to get married at 18, you need more tact, Fabray."

"That wasn't my intention at all. Can I ask you something though?"

"Yes...?"

"Do you still want to marry Finn?"

"A part of me does. I still love him very much, but at the same time I realize how naïve I was being. The timing just wasn't right."

"Do you really believe that?"

"I don't know."

"It's ok. You don't have to know everything. Have you talked to him since he left?"

"We skyped for the first few days before he went down to Georgia and he calls when he can. Army rules are strict and training eats up the majority of his time, so it's hard. Everything seems to be going well for him though. He's determined to be the man his father could've been and more. Absence makes the heart grow fonder though, right?"

"That is the expression, but I think it depends on the people. You guys are perfect for each other though, so don't worry too much."

"I know I shouldn't, but it's my nature to worry. Something feels like it's missing though. I love him so very much and at the same time it doesn't feel like enough. I guess being away from him has made me think about and question certain aspects of our relationship."

"Finn's a good guy, he won't let you down."

"I trust him; he has a good heart. How have you been? What have you been up to so far this summer?"

"Nothing really. I hung out with Santana and Brittany for a little bit before they left and I've tried staying in touch with all the other glee kids, but they're all so busy. In case you haven't noticed, Lima's a small town and there's not much to do out here. I've mostly been sleeping, eating, and using the internet. Mom and I were going to take a trip to Europe, but she decided that she would rather go with Frannie instead."

"Frannie?"

"My sister."

"Oh, ok."

Rachel could tell that something was bothering Quinn, but she didn't want to push her luck. Even if Quinn was more open, she was still protective of her feelings and hated opening up to people.

"So, as fun as it is to lie on this couch, shouldn't we be doing something? Like watching Funny Girl?" said Rachel in attempt to ease the awkwardness in the room.

"Nothing deters you from watching Streisand, does it? It's only 11 PM and I'm not nearly tired enough to start watching movies, what about we play a game or something?"

"No! I need you to be fully awake so you can be as emotionally invested in this movie as I am! I will not allow you to fall asleep, Quinn!"

Crawling off the couch, Quinn retrieved something from the cabinet next to the TV and a remote control. She turned on the TV and began to flick through the channels. Rachel was still slightly dazed from her intake of food and rolled over to face the TV.

"Wait, stop! Go back one channel!" yelled Rachel.

Slightly startled by Rachel's sudden outburst, Quinn turned the channel and Audrey Hepburn's face filled the screen. Quinn had seen _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ over a dozen times and recognized the movie immediately.

"Alright, I suppose we can hold off on Funny Girl and watch the beauty that is Audrey Hepburn instead. Wait, what did you grab from the cabinet?" questioned Rachel.

Holding up the object in her hand, it looked like Quinn was holding what seemed to be a banana. Rachel was about to inquire further before Quinn stopped her.

"Bananagrams! I always play this during sleepovers so I can beat everyone and boost my ego more," explained Quinn.

Quinn explained the rules of the game and the two played a few practice games before Rachel was ready to win. She would steal Quinn's title from her and declare herself the new queen of Bananagrams. Fourteen games later, Quinn through her hands in defeat. Yale bound or not, Rachel's superior vocabulary could not be beaten.

"Hah, I win! So with my new leadership, I hereby pronounce that we watch Funny Girl!" declared Rachel.

"Alright, alright, I surrender. We can watch now. Would you like some popcorn? I can go make some while you pop in the DVD," suggested Quinn.

"Sounds like a plan," agreed Rachel.

A few minutes later, the two were snuggled on the couch eating popcorn and watching Barbra Streisand. Well, Quinn was watching and Rachel was reenacting the whole movie while it was playing. Quinn wanted to respect Rachel's love for the movie and stayed quiet throughout the whole movie and tried her best not to fall asleep; though it was kind of hard to fall asleep with Rachel belting out every single song. All in all, Rachel wasn't a bad friend to have. Although she could be slightly annoying and selfish at times, her heart was in the right place and Quinn was glad to be able to call Rachel a friend. Sooner or later she knew the petite girl would break from the stress of her future and the turmoil with Finn and she didn't know why, but she wanted to be there for her. Perhaps she thought that if she stuck her neck out for someone then they would do the same or she genuinely cared about the girl. Either way, tonight was the beginning of a new path for them and there was no need to rush anything. Right now, she was simply content to watch Rachel enthusiastically watch musicals and for the first time in a while, Quinn didn't feel so alone.


End file.
